[#MovieReview] #Disney Animation Marathon Part 14: "#OneHundredAndOneDalmatians" — Witness the Accumulation of Animal Expression Here. [#Podcast Episode Introduction]

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Disney Animation Marathon Part 14

One Hundred and One Dalmatians — Witness the accumulation of animal expression here.

Chapter 1: A Masterpiece That Was Also Adapted into Live-Action

1.1 The simplest and most terrifying reason why this movie is still talked about today

The reason why "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" continues to be highly regarded is actually very simple. It is because
the depiction of the dogs is extraordinary.

Regardless of the story or the themes, first and foremost,
the pups on screen are just so alive.

Especially the puppies.
Their roly-poly bodies.
Their shaky, uncertain steps as they haven't quite learned how to use their bodies yet.
Just when they seem to stop, they suddenly start running, trip, get tangled up, and stand up again.

And they have
101 of them
moving dynamically on the screen at the same time.

I'll be honest.
Just thinking about the workload is enough to drive you crazy.

In this movie, God truly resides in the details.

1.2 A workload that shouldn't be done by hand

"One Hundred and One Dalmatians" was released in 1961.
Naturally, there was no full CG, nor was there motion capture.
Everything is hand-drawn animation.

In other words,
the movements of those 101 dogs were
observed and drawn by human eyes and hands, one by one.

What is important here is
the introduction of the **tracing machine (Xerography)** in this film.

This allowed for

• the lines of the original drawings to be transferred directly onto the cels

• The nuance of the lines does not disappear

• The animation process can be run at lightning speed

—a revolution occurred.

But do not be mistaken. The machine only made the "copying process" easier.

Observation and the act of drawing itself remain hellish nonetheless.

1.3 If you dismiss it as just "cute," you will be in for a rude awakening

The puppies are cute. That is undeniable.

However, the dog depictions in this film have far too much information to be dismissed as just "cute."

The parents' fatigue. Anxiety. Responsibility. Fear.

In particular, the expressions of the dogs protecting their young carry as much weight as those of human parents.

It is not exaggerated because it is animation.
It is because it is animation that it can be depicted to that extent.

1.4 The phenomenon where the villain steals the memory

One of the reasons this work is still talked about today is the presence of its villain.

Cruella de Vil. Her name alone is unsettling, but her appearance and ideology have already stepped into the realm of the supernatural.

Her strangeness is evident from the fact that a spin-off featuring her as the protagonist was produced in later years.

To that extent, this film is not only a "dog movie" but also a "Cruella movie."

I will discuss this in detail later.

1.5 First of all, this is not an "animal movie"

It is often misunderstood, but "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" is not just an animal movie.

This is
the culmination of the "techniques for drawing animals" that Disney has built up over many years.

Before even talking about the story,
this is a work you should look at first.

When watching this film,
even before thinking about whether it's cute or scary,
the surprise of "they went this far?" comes first.

And that surprise,
even when viewed today, has not faded at all.

Chapter 2: Synopsis

2.1 A surprisingly straightforward and functional story

The synopsis of "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" is disarmingly simple.

Pongo and Perdita are Dalmatians.
Puppies are born to the pair, who have been living as ordinary family dogs.
However, those puppies
are kidnapped by Cruella, a woman after their fur.

The parent dogs run all over London,
gather their friends using a network of dogs,
and rescue the 101 puppies.

That is all.

There is no fatalism,
nor do princes or magic appear.
All that exists is
the extremely animalistic and deeply earnest motive
of getting back the children that were taken.

2.2 This story moves according to "dog logic"

What makes this film interesting is that
the story's decision-making consistently proceedsaccording to dog logic.

• Sensing danger

• Calling for friends

• Moving in a pack

• Protecting their young

Human calculations of profit and loss rarely intervene there.

As a result,
the audience is not "empathizing by seeing dogs as humans," but rather
is made to understand the behavioral principles of dogs themselves.

This sense of distance is exquisite.
They are not overly anthropomorphized.
Yet, it is not that their emotions cannot be read.

2.3 The Narrative Pressure of the Number 101

I want to reconsider here the
abnormality of the number "101".

It's hard enough with just one,
and the screen is saturated with ten.
But 101?

This number functions less as
narrative reality and more as
pressure.

• Can they protect them all?

• Will they really all be saved?

• Can they manage them?

The audience becomes anxious unconsciously.

In other words, this film,
while wearing the face of a cute animal movie,
exudes a sense of "overcapacity" tension from start to finish.

2.4 Why Cruella Can Carry the Story

In terms of narrative structure,
Cruella is a simple villain.
Her motives are easy to understand.
She is also completely out of bounds ethically.

However,
the reason she remains in our memory so vividly
is because she carries something outside the story.

Fur.
Mass production.
The inflation of desire.

In short, Cruella is
an individual, yet also a personification of consumer society itself.

I will address this point
in depth in the next chapter.

2.5 This Is All That Is Important for the Synopsis

The story of "101 Dalmatians"
does not need to be any more complex than this.

Rather, because of this simplicity,
the things that should be discussed later—
drawing, lines, movement, technique, and accumulation—
emerge purely.

This film
does not compete on story.
It is a film that hits you with its depiction.

Chapter 3: A Novel Approach

3.1 The Moment Lines Began to Speak

I think many people feel a sense of discomfort the moment they see "One Hundred and One Dalmatians."
Compared to previous Disney works, the quality of the lines is completely different.

The character outlines are not cleanly closed.
Their thickness fluctuates.
There is an instability, as if they are moving while still in the rough sketch stage.

This is neither a failure nor cutting corners.
It is a completely intentional choice.

The lines in this film are truly out for a walk.
And for 101 dogs, at that.

3.2 The Weapon of "Roughness" Created by Xerography

The true nature of these lines is xerography (a tracing machine).
This technique, which prints original drawings directly onto cels,
was not only a revolution in animation efficiency, but also a
revolution in aesthetic values.

In traditional Disney works,
original drawings were cleaned up in the final stage,
and refined into uniform, smooth lines.

But in "One Hundred and One Dalmatians,"
that process was intentionally skipped.

As a result,

• the energy of the lines remains

• the habits of the person who drew them are visible

• the roughness of the movement is conveyed directly

In other words,
it feels more like it was "drawn" than "being drawn".

3.3 The Misunderstanding and Truth of a French Flair

Many people describe the impression of these lines as
"French-movie-like" or "European."

Certainly,
there is a sense of valuing improvisation over refinement, and
the attitude of choosing energy over perfection
is somewhat reminiscent of French picture books and animation.

But that is not the essence.

This is not a matter of the country, but an
experiment in how far animation can go as 'art' before it becomes chaotic.

"One Hundred and One Dalmatians" made the choice to
deliberately 'not finish' things.

3.4 The expressive technique itself becomes the message

A film is not something that can be discussed
solely by the 'content' shown on screen.

How is it drawn?
With what kind of lines, what density, and what rhythm does it move?

"One Hundred and One Dalmatians" is a film where
the expressive technique itself is the argument.

• This is not reality itself

• This is a drawing, a movement, an interpretation

Lines that seem to say exactly that fill the screen.

This strength of self-assertion
ultimately makes the absurd number of 101 dogs work.

3.5 Disney's resolve to abandon 'neatness'

After this work,
Disney temporarily lets go of the 'aesthetics of lines'.

Quantity over smoothness.
Kineticism over perfection.
Accumulation over flawlessness.

This is not a retreat.
It is a change in direction.

"One Hundred and One Dalmatians" is also a work that
clearly demonstrated
'what weapon Disney would use to fight from now on'.

Chapter 4: The anomaly that is Cruella de Vil

4.1 The moment the villain took on the 'theme'

One cannot discuss "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" without mentioning Cruella de Vil.
This is because she is not merely a villain.

In terms of narrative structure, Cruella is an easy-to-understand evil.
She kidnaps puppies to turn them into fur.
Ethically unacceptable. There is no room for excuses.

However, her terror does not lie in the fact that she "does bad things."
It lies in the fact that she isfar too "modern."

Cruella is a winner of desire.
She has money, power, and the means.
As a result, her ethics have completely fallen away.

4.2 A personality poisoned by consumer society

Cruella's behavioral principles are surprisingly consistent.

• If I want it, I get it.

• If it can be solved with money, I crush it with money.

• Life is nothing more than raw material.

There is no hatred or revenge here.
All that exists isthe logic of consumption.

That is precisely why she is scary.
She is driven not by passion, but by rationality.

Back in 1961,
the society of mass production and mass consumption had already begun.
Fashion fueled trends, and
the emotion of "wanting" was being commodified.

Cruella is depicted as
the most grotesque endpoint of that.

4.3 Why her appearance is already that of a "demon"

Cruella is abnormal even in her appearance.
Hair split into black and white.
Needle-like fingers.
Angular silhouette.

She is human, but
she is depicted as something in the shape of a human.

This design is no coincidence.
Disney intentionally
designed her as a "social monster."

As a result of staring at desire,
she became that way.
That is all there is to it.

4.4 An ironic twist when viewed from the modern day

Let's talk about something a bit ironic here.

In the modern era,
Disney itself, the creator of this film,
has become a symbol of a massive consumer society.

And now, that same Disney
is making a spin-off with Cruella as the lead.

As a composition, it is quite interesting.
A story that was supposed to criticize consumer society
is being reproduced right in the heart of that very society.

However, I also think this:
This very twist is Cruella's life force.

She will not die, no matter how times change.
Because,
as long as consumer society does not end,
her place will not disappear either.

4.5 To be honest

Let me share a personal thought at the end.

Cruella is scary.
Truly scary.
That is not a face meant for a children's movie.

And to be honest,
it is quite a stretch to say this demon looks like Emma Stone.

No, it is not an issue with the actor.
The density of the character is just too different.

Cruella is
not a "human",
but a concept.

Chapter 5: The Weapon of Accumulated Technology

5.1 Why Disney Made 'Time' Their Ally

Watching 'One Hundred and One Dalmatians', I cannot help but think:
This is not work that other studios could do.

Why?
It is not because they lack talent.
It is not because they lack effort.
Simply put,they lack the time.

Disney's greatest strength has always been here.
Looking toward the future, pioneering the feature animation market themselves,
and continuing to accumulate technology while repeating failures and successes along the way.

'One Hundred and One Dalmatians' is a work where that accumulation
erupted all at once.

Without this philosophy,
no one would ever think to draw the movements of 101 dogs.

5.2 The Never-Ending Research of Drawing Animals

Disney is a studio that has consistently been drawing animals since its inception.

• Drawing deer in "Bambi"

• Drawing elephants in "Dumbo"

• Drawing the emotions of dogs in "Lady and the Tramp"

All of that converges into "One Hundred and One Dalmatians."

The dogs depicted here are
not just "cute mascots."
They are beings with skeletons, weight, and quirks.

Their ways of running, falling, and stopping are all different.
Even within the same breed, they do not move in exactly the same way.

This is a world where the sheer volume of observation counts.
It is not something that can be mastered overnight.

5.3 What can be seen precisely because it is analog

Nowadays, there is
3DCG, physics simulations, and AI correction.
If you wanted to, there are plenty of easier ways to do it.

But "One Hundred and One Dalmatians"
uses an infinitely analog method
to pull it off completely.

Seen with human eyes,
drawn by human hands,
and corrected with human sensibilities.

As a result,
the "roly-poly" feel and "clumsiness" of the dogs
are conveyed not as numbers, but as emotions.

That is why the dogs in this movie
are not just well-animated, but
look like they are alive.

5.4 A movie that works even if you leave the story behind

To be honest,
"One Hundred and One Dalmatians"
is a movie that works even if you forget the story.

In the extreme,
even if you turn off the dialogue,
you can still grasp the development.

That is because
the expression itself is eloquent.

• The movement of the dogs speaks of their emotions

• The arrangement of the pack shows their relationships,

• and the trembling of the lines conveys tension.

At this point,
the story is almost secondary.

This is not a flaw.
It is proof that the expressive power has run wild.

5.5 This film is a "showcase of technology"

"One Hundred and One Dalmatians" is less of a moving story and more of a

showcase where you can view the entire history of Disney's technology.

Animal expression.
Animation techniques.
Process innovation.
Accumulation of observation.

All of these
are packed into this one film.

That is why I
cannot bring myself to judge this film by whether or not I like the story.

This is
proof that because they had come this far, they were able to draw this much.

Chapter 6: The Comparison Axis of Live-Action Adaptation

6.1 "101" is also a pioneer of the live-action adaptation era

"One Hundred and One Dalmatians" is a work that, as a result,became a pioneer of Disney's live-action adaptation route.Following the success of the animated version, a live-action film was produced and became a global hit.

It was advertised quite heavily in Japan at the time as well,
and many people must have gone to the theaters to see it.
Dalmatian puppies running around filling the screen.
Of course, it's cute. There's no denying that.

However, when you look at them side-by-side after some time has passed,
there is something that becomes clearly apparent.

There are expressions that can only be achieved through animation.

The quality of this "truth"
is completely different between animation and live-action.

6.2 Live-action dogs do not talk

Live-action dogs, naturally, do not talk.
Their expressions are also basically left to the interpretation of the viewer.

That is one way to enjoy it, certainly.
Reading meaning into the gestures and gazes of dogs,
and imagining their emotions.

However, what the animated version of 'One Hundred and One Dalmatians' is doing
is not on that level.

• The 'responsibility' of the parent dogs is visible

• Anxiety is expressed through movement

• The resolve to protect their young appears in their posture

This is not
anthropomorphism, but translation.

It is accurately converting the existence of a dog
into a layer of emotion that humans can understand.

6.3 The reason why it 'can' be done in live-action, but 'isn't'

Let's talk about modern technology here for a moment.

With current VFX technology,
it is theoretically possible
to make a live-action dog talk,
or give it human-like facial expressions.

But they don't do it.
Why?

Because it's creepy.

No, this is not a joke.
When you give realistic animals human expressions or language,
the uncanny valley immediately opens up.

Animation
avoids that valley from the start.

It is not reality.
But the emotions are real.
This balance is a strength that only animation can produce.

6.4 The decisive difference of 'because it's animation'

Watching 'One Hundred and One Dalmatians' again, I think that
this filmcompletely trusts the expressive form of animation.

• It does not trace reality

• But it does not lie either

• It does not deceive when it comes to emotion

This posture strikes the viewer with
the sorrow of the parent dogs,
the innocence of the puppies,
and hits home.

In live-action, the "real dog" inevitably takes center stage.
In animation, the "dog as an emotion" takes center stage.

This gap cannot be bridged.

6.5 Conclusion: This film wins through its depiction

"One Hundred and One Dalmatians" is
not a film that remains in history for its story.
It is not a film passed down for its theme.

It is a film that won through its depiction.

In the single point of depicting animals,
how many years has Disney spent,
how many failures have they repeated,
and how much observation have they accumulated?

The answer to that
is moving on screen for all 101 of them.

To be honest,
you might not need to watch this film twice.

But you should watch it once
to confirm the "reason for going this far."

The accumulation of animal representation
has certainly taken a visible form in this one film.

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